Foreigners' safety in Sudan will not be threatened although protests were triggered by reports that the International Criminal Court (ICC) may seek the arrest of the country's president for alleged war crimes, Information Minister al-Zahawi Ibrahim Malik said Sunday.
Malik made the remarks after an emergency cabinet meeting presided over by President Omar al-Bashir.
"As for those who are here in the different diplomatic organizations, we don't think they are going to be under any pressure from the Sudanese citizens. Everything will be secure," he told reporters when asked if Sudan could guarantee it would not ask UN officials or foreign diplomats to leave.
"Their lives and possessions and all these things are secure. The Sudanese people are very friendly indeed," he said. "We have this ICC resolution but we don't connect it. Everyone here, while they are in Sudan, will be safe."
On Friday, The Washington Post quoted UN officials and diplomats as saying that an ICC prosecutor would charge al-Bashir with alleged genocide and crimes against humanity next week.
Earlier, thousands of people, chanting slogans against the United States and the ICC, marched in Khartoum to show their anger at the move.
Western embassies have advised nationals to limit unnecessary travel and the United Nations has stepped up its security levels amid fears that the ICC move could spark violent retaliation.
The Sudanese government has said the ICC move against its top officials could undermine attempts to end the conflict in the country's western Darfur region.
Source:Xinhua
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